In my head, two minutes ago, my child was ready to accomplish all of my language goals for her just like all of the other children in my family as far back as I can remember. In my case, it would have made me even more confused because I was not ready to accept this new pathway for my child yet. If I had never met a deaf person before, I doubt that meeting an adult deaf person at the time of a “refer” screening result for my infant would ease my fears and discomfort.
My fear is that making the words softer will only add to the tendency toward denial or complacency, and that will not result in positive outcomes for the child.
#EARLY INTERVENTION THE MISSING LINK FULL#
you must learn to sign now or you must get a full diagnostic test and pursue hearing technology now. Whether the family chooses to sign or chooses to get hearing aids, this is not something that comes natural to them and it requires a behavior change and some sense of urgency-i.e. For hearing parents, a complete shift of perspective, culture, and actions outside of their experience has to begin immediately for their child to be successful. Additionally, given the significant gaps between screening rates and diagnostic rates for children identified through newborn screening, it would be malpractice not to create some level of urgency among hearing parents.ĭeaf parents can continue to do what they would normally do to give their children language when their child is identified at birth. Since the video does not seem to be based on any data about what parents experience, the assumptions about the problem and the solution cannot be validated. If you want to understand what hearing parents are feeling, then you have to ask them, and not assume you know the answer. However, the video makes some big assumptions without any data on what hearing parents are actually feeling when they learn their child is deaf. I, too, think that inclusive, positive words are much more sensible than harsh, clinical ones. However, It is unfair to expect hearing parents to easily embrace this new trajectory for our child’s life simply by changing the words that are used and the people in the room when the news is delivered. I also appreciate that deaf people feel that there is nothing “wrong” with children that are born deaf. I appreciate the intent of the video to change the language that may create a damaging, negative picture of child’s life at the very beginning of the parent’s journey.
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